Gutters for rainwater



April 21, 1970 R. HOMA 3,507,396

GUTTERS FOR RAINWATER Filed July 24, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 21, 1970 R. HOMA 3,507,396

GUTTEHS FOR RAINWATER Filed July 24, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l United States Patent U.S. Cl. 210477 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A gutter guard having a perforate part fitting over the open top of a gutter for preventing passage into the gutter of leaves or the like matter whilst allowing passage of rainwater into the gutter. The perforate part is located on the gutter by a second part jointed to a longitudinal edge of the perforate part and closely fitting into or around the gutter or fitting onto the edges of the gutter.

Background of the invention The invention relates to a gutter guard.

This invention relates to gutters for rainwater, that is to say gutters for conveying rainwater from the pitched roof of a building to a downpipe. Usually such gutters are of open-topped channel shaped section and extend parallel with and below the lower edge of the pitched roof of the building so that rainwater discharged from the roof flows directly into the gutter and thence to a downpipe. This arrangement is unsatisfactory because leaves, twigs and other matter tend to collect in the gutter causing blockage thereof and of the downpipe.

According to the present invention there is provided a gutter guard comprising a first part adapted to fit over the open top of a gutter and formed with means to permit passage of rainwater into the gutter whilst substantially excluding passage into the gutter of leaves and like matter apt to impede flow of rainwater along the gutter, and a second part extending along an edge of the first part and adapted to engage the gutter thereby to locate said edge of the first part of the guard relatively to the gutter.

In one form of the invention the first part of the gutter guard comprises a flap connected at its outer edge to the second part, the flap being formed with apertures for permitting rainwater which flows on to the flap to pass therethrough to the gutter and being so formed at its inner edge that in use parts of the flap are spaced from the roof tiles to permit water which flows ofi the tiles to pass ino the gutter.

In another form of the invention, the first part of the gutter guard is upwardly bowed and apertured and is connected at its edges to respective second parts adapted to engage inner and outer edges of the gutter thereby to locate the guard relatively to the gutter.

In a further form of the invention, the first part of the gutter guard is upwardly bowed and perforated, and is joined at respective edges thereof to the upper edges of two portions adapted closely to fit the contour of the gutter, the lower edges of the portions being joined by a lowermost portion adapted to be spaced from the bottom of the gutter.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows the gutter guard of FIG. 1 clipped into a gutter of a width somewhat greater than the gutter guard;

3,507,396 Patented Apr. 21, 1970 FIG. 3 shows the gutter guard of FIGS. 1 and 2 held in place by roof tiles;

FIG. 4 shows a detail, to an enlarged scale, of the mesh material forming part of the gutter guard of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the clip of FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a modified form of the gutter guard of FIGS. 1-3 clipped in position in a gutter of different section than that of FIGS. 1-3.

Throughout the drawing like parts have been given the same reference numerals.

A first embodiment of the invention shown in FIG- URES 1 to 5 shows a gutter guard for a gutter 2 in the form of an open-topped-channel of arcuate cross section. The gutter guard is formed from polyvinyl chloride or other suitable plastics mesh material. The mesh (see FIG- URE 4) has a preferred aperture size of one-eighth inch by one-sixteenth inch and is desirably one thirty-second inch thick. For added strength the plastics material defining the sides of each aperture 36 has a slight twist in it.

The gutter guard has an upper part 38 which in operative position is of upwardly bowed section and a lower part having curved upper side portions which fit closely to the gutter and a flat lowermost portion 42 which unites the curved upper side portions and establishes a space 44 between the gutter guard and the bottom of the gutter so that the fiat lowermost portion 42 of the gutter guard does not impede flow of rainwater and matter suspended therein along the bottom of the gutter.

For retaining the gutter guard in position in the gutter there are provided clips 46 formed suitably from plastics strip material one-sixteenth inch thick. Each clip comprises a first arcuate part 48 and second arcuate part 50 engageable respectively with the upper upwardly bowed part 38 of the gutter guard and the underside of the gutter 2 and a fiat part 52 connecting the arcuate parts and which engages the outer top edge 54 of the gutter 2. The mutual disposition of the arcuate parts 48 and 50 is such that when the clip is in situ the arcuate parts are urged together thereby to hold the gutter guard in the gutter in a symmetrical position (see FIGURE 1) or where the gutter is wider than the gutter guard as shown in FIGURE 2 a position in which the junction of the upper and lower parts of the guard at the front thereof is adjacent the top outer edge of the gutter whilst the junction of the upper and lower parts of the guard at the rear thereof is somewhat below the inner edge 56 of the gutter.

It will be appreciated that the clips are only required where the lower edge 58 of the roof tiles 4 of the building is well above the level of the gutter which it overhangs. Where the lower edge of the roof tiles is at or in the vicinity of the level of the upper edges of the gutter as shown in FIGURE 3 the tiles serve to hold the gutter guard in place and may even do so by distorting the bowed top part 38 of the guard to an undulating cross section.

It will also be appreciated that the gutter guard may be adapted to fit gutters of other than arcuate section. For example, FIGURE 6 shows a gutter guard adapted to fit a gutter having flat vertically disposed inner and outer side portions 60 and 62, joined by an undulating curved portion 64. In this case the lower part of the gutter guard is formed with flat upper side portions 40a and 40b to fit the side portions 60 and 62 of the gutter, and the lowermost portion 42a of the gutter guard is inclined to the horizontal, the inner edge of portion 42a being disposed at the junction of the inner side portion 60 and curved portion 64 of the gutter. The clip 46 is formed as before with a first arcuate part 48 and an intermediate flat part 52 but in place of the second arcuate part 50 is a part 66 being the inner upstanding part 68 which engages the side portion 60 of the gutter.

I claim:

1. A gutter guard for a gutter of open-topped channelshaped section, comprising an upper part which is upwardly bowed and perforated and which, in use, covers the open top of the gutter, a lower part comprising two side portions each having an upper edge extending, in use, lengthwise of the gutter and a lower edge parallel to its upper edge and each being joined at its upper edge to the upper part of the gutter guard, each side portion in the region adjacent its upper edge being shaped to fit closely against the inner surface of the gutter thereby to support the gutter guard in position on the gutter, and a lower perforated portion extending between and joined to the said lower edges of the side portions and adapted to be spaced from the bottom of the gutter so as not to impede the flow of water along the bottom of the gutter.

2. A gutter guard as claimed in claim 1 and formed in one piece from mesh material.

3. A gutter guard as claimed in claim 1, in which spring clip means are provided for retaining the guard in the gutter.

4. A gutter guard as claimed in claim 3, in which the spring clip means consist of a number of clips formed from strip material each clip comprising first and second arcuate parts engageable respectively with the upper part of the guard and the underside of the gutter, the mutual disposition of the arcuate parts being such, that in use, the

arcuate parts are urged together thereby to hold the guard in the gutter.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 836,012 11/1906 Cassen 5212 891,405 6/1908 Cassens 52-12 936,040 10/ 1909 Ruckle 52-11 956,372 4/1910 Kreutzberg 5212 X 1,005,885 10/1911 Ross et al 5211 2,271,081 1/1942 Layton 5212 X 2,542,155 2/1951 Moller 52--12 2,583,422 1/1952 Haddon 5212 X 2,873,700 2/1959 Heier 5212 3,053,393 9/1962 McLean 52-12 X 3,080,682 3/1963 Teutsch 52--12 3,300,911 1/1967 Riddell 52-16 FOREIGN PATENTS 240,976 9/ 1960 Australia.

HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner S. D. BURKE, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 52-12 

